The video begins with a flashing reminder to vote by August 24th (the final day of the election), followed by a photograph of Kim Todd accompanied by a brief statement about her candidacy and an expression of her gratitude towards all who have helped her. The remainder of the video is a visual history of her campaign comprising a series of still color photographs and video clips set to Celine Dion singing “God Bless America.” The video is also a powerful demonstration of the broad support Todd has in her community, ending with a scrolling list of the individuals who have endorsed her in white lettering against a black background. All-in-all, the video is actually quite moving for many of those who have already watched it.

While a single video, or even a set of videos, will not determine the outcome of an election, Todd’s use of amateur videos and the internet in her messaging may have changed the way judicial candidates will campaign in the future. With the local newspapers facing financial constraints giving scant coverage to judicial races, judicial candidates will be faced with the increasing need to produce and disseminate their own media messages by which they define themselves and their candidacies. Kim Todd has emerged as the leader of the present pack of judicial candidates in this regard, and has gotten thousands of views of the videos she has been featured in. The videos she has produced and distributed to date include the following:

An interesting technical aspects of these videos is the use of high definition (HD) video camera photography, which gives the finished video a degree of vividness not matched in most amateur videos produced by local political candidates. Another interesting aspect is that the production quality has improved from the first video to the most recent, indicating that Todd is learning and innovating as she proceeds, which shows determination and an ability to learn from experience.

The one aspect of this effort that remains an unknown is the effect, if any, these videos have had on educating voters about Kim Todd and motivating them to vote for — or against — her. It is certainly one of several factors in play that will determine the outcome of her race, but there presently does not appear to be any polling data or other metrics that indicate the effects of this form of messaging in specific races. Perhaps something will emerge after August 24th. One thing that is plain, however, is that the game of local political campaigning is increasingly embracing this form of communication.